This relates generally to electronic devices and, more particularly, to electronic devices with displays.
Electronic devices often include displays. For example, cellular telephones and portable computers include displays for presenting information to users. Displays such as liquid crystal displays contain multiple layers. A liquid crystal display may, for example, have upper and lower polarizer layers, a color filter layer that contains an array of color filter elements, a thin-film transistor layer that includes thin-film transistors and display pixel electrodes, and a layer of liquid crystal material interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer. The edge of the thin-film transistor layer may protrude from beneath the color filter layer, providing a ledge on which circuitry such as a display driver integrated circuit can be mounted. The display driver integrated circuit can receive information on images to be displayed on the display from a processor located on a printed circuit board. The display driver circuit contains drivers that drive data signals onto conductive traces on the thin-film transistor layer. The presence of the display driver ledge allows the display driver integrated circuit to be mounted in close proximity to the thin-film transistor circuitry on the thin-film transistor layer.
The driver ledge is generally located at one of the edges of the display. For example, in a cellular telephone display, the driver ledge may be located at the top or bottom end of the display. The use of this type of display configuration can give rise to challenges when mounting the display in the housing of an electronic device. If care is not taken, the display may need to be mounted in an off center location to provide sufficient room for the circuitry associated with the driver ledge. This type of off center positioning of the display can be aesthetically unappealing. To provide a more visually appealing layout, the housing of the electronic device can be enlarged. An enlarged electronic device housing may allow the display to be centered within the device, but adds undesirable bulk.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved electronic devices with displays.